The NHL Hates Fun and Home Ice Advantage

So much for the home ice advantage. In it's latest attempt to purge the fun from a traditional hockey city and organization, the NHL has decided it will impose its might by fining the Red Wings $10,000 the next time JLA Building Manager, Al Sobotka, twirls the octopus over his head before a playoff game (reason #53 the NHL office hates the Red Wings). Not only that, but he is not to go out and pick the creature up. That duty will now fall to the officials.

Are you kidding me? A fine...for that? Their reasoning: the twirling of the eight-legged creature creates a distribution of 'material' which lands on the ice and creates a danger to the players and officials. So Octopus juice is now what concerns the NHL office. Wow.

Sobotka, who keeps the second best ice in the league (Edmonton is first), said himself that if there was a risk of damage to the ice surface, there is no way he would do it. As I believe Mickey Redmond said yesterday, "in 80 years of Red Wing hockey, I've never seen anyone hurt by an octopus."

In all seriousness though, the NHL has far bigger fish to fry (no pun intended). How about looking at the unbalanced schedule and fixing it once and for all. It might be nice to see the Wings host and play in Toronto or Montreal more than once every Presidential administration. Or, maybe, just maybe, the league should spend its spare time addressing chronic offenders of the rules. Perhaps some more time dedicated to guys like Chris Simon or Chris Pronger would benefit the game. That way, opposing players wouldn't have to worry about being stepped on and cut, or run from behind causing a concussion, or swinging sticks to the face.

We'll have to wait and see if Gary Bettman and Colin Campbell are in attendance later to preside and enforce for the start of the second round. I sure hope Al is on his best behavior.